​England history in major semifinals: Three Lions’ all-time record in final four of World Cup, Euros originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.England are once again within one victory of soccer’s biggest stage.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Three Lions face Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinals, with a place in the final in New York New Jersey awaiting the winner.England have reached the final four of major international tournaments several times, but their record at this stage has featured both historic triumphs and painful defeats.Here is England’s complete semifinal history at the World Cup, European Championship and UEFA Nations League, along with how many major finals the Three Lions have played.2026 WORLD CUP HQ:Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup ticketsEngland have reached the FIFA World Cup semifinals four times, including the 2026 tournament.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Three Lions won their first semifinal in 1966, defeating Portugal 2-1 at Wembley thanks to a Bobby Charlton brace before going on to beat West Germany in the final and lift the World Cup for the only time in their history.England’s next two semifinal appearances both ended in heartbreak. They lost to West Germany on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Italia ’90 before suffering a 2-1 extra-time defeat to Croatia at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.England will attempt to reach a second World Cup final when they face Argentina in the 2026 semifinals.YearOpponentResultOutcome1966PortugalWon 2-1Reached final (Champions)1990West GermanyDrew 1-1 (lost 4-3 on penalties)Third-place playoff (Fourth)2018CroatiaLost 2-1 aetThird-place playoff (Fourth)2026ArgentinaTBDTBDEngland’s men have reached the UEFA European Championship semifinals four times, winning two and losing two.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Three Lions’ first appearance in the final four came in 1968, when they were beaten 1-0 by Yugoslavia before going on to defeat the Soviet Union in the third-place playoff.England then suffered one of the most painful defeats in their history at Euro 1996, losing 6-5 on penalties to Germany at Wembley after a 1-1 draw.After decades of semifinal disappointment, Gareth Southgate’s side broke through at Euro 2020 with a 2-1 extra-time victory over Denmark to reach England’s first European Championship final. Three years later, Ollie Watkins’ dramatic late winner secured a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands, sending England to a second successive Euros final, where they were defeated by Spain.YearOpponentResultOutcome1968YugoslaviaLost 1-0Third place1996GermanyDrew 1-1 (lost 6-5 on penalties)Eliminated2020DenmarkWon 2-1 aetReached final (Runners-up)2024NetherlandsWon 2-1Reached final (Runners-up)England have reached the UEFA Nations League semifinals once.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Three Lions qualified for the inaugural Nations League Finals i